As many as 100,000 people are expected to join in a human chain running alongside the Korean Demilitarised Zone to mark the first anniversary of the Panmunjon Declaration and put pressure to break the deadline in current talks.
The Panmunjon Declaration was adopted by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on 27th April, 2018. Under its terms, both governments agreed to cooperate on officially ending the conflict between the two nations and denuclearise the Korean Peninsula. Talks on denuclearisation have stalled since a meeting between US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader in late February was broken off earlier than expected.
This year’s 27th April event has the support of the National Council of Churches in Korea which will host a gathering at Hwachan in Kwangwon province, South Korea, for worship before the human chain is formed.
In a statement, the council said: “We cannot go back to the old days when conflict and antagonism dominated. This is because peace on the Korean Peninsula is an irreversible national historical imperative and an historical task for the world.”
The council appealed for people to take part in the human chain.
“Let us open the way for peace on the Korean Peninsula with the hope of the true peace that God gives us.”
Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, has expressed his support.
“Holding someone’s hand is the beginning of our journey,” he wrote. “As a Christian fellowship, the WCC will continue to stand with our brothers and sisters in Korea and invite all Christians to pray for the Korean peninsula and that God’s will, for justice and peace, be done.”
